Great Australian Bight | |
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Coastline of the Great Australian Bight, showing the marine park
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Limits of the Great Australian Bight (in red as defined by the International Hydrographic Organization, in green by the Australian Hydrographic Service).
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Location | South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia |
Coordinates | 33°S 130°E / 33°S 130°ECoordinates: 33°S 130°E / 33°S 130°E |
Type | Oceanic bight |
Primary outflows | Indian Ocean (in Australia, considered part of the Southern Ocean) |
Basin countries | Australia |
The Great Australian Bight is a large oceanic bight, or open bay, off the central and western portions of the southern coastline of mainland Australia.
Two definitions of the extent are in use – one used by the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) and the other used by the Australian Hydrographic Service (AHS).
The IHO defines the Great Australian Bight as having the following limits:
On the North. The south coast of the Australian mainland.
On the South. A line joining West Cape Howe (35°08′S 117°37′E / 35.133°S 117.617°E) Australia to South West Cape, Tasmania.
On the East. A line from Cape Otway, Victoria to King Island and thence to Cape Grim, the northwest extreme of Tasmania.
The AHS defines the bight with a smaller area, from Cape Pasley, Western Australia, to Cape Carnot, South Australia - a distance of 1,160 kilometres (720 mi).
Much of the bight lies due south of the expansive Nullarbor Plain, which straddles South Australia and Western Australia. The Eyre Highway passes close to the cliffs of the bight between the Head of the Bight and Eucla.